2018 Reading List

The end of the year is a time of lists. Top news stories of the year, top movies, top books.

Each year I keep track of the books I read. (I have previously written about my system of reading here: Reading Two Five). Here is my list of the books I read in 2018. I did a much better job of keeping my categories balanced than I did in 2017.

Under each category I share a standout and a couple runners-up. I’ll tell you right now that the best book out of all of the standouts is Liturgy Of The Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren.

Looking ahead at next year, I have a number of good academic and experience books on my to-read list, which should make for another good year of reading.

LITERATURE:

The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger

Paradise Lost by John Milton

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Tales From Ovic by Translation by Ted Hughes

Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

For One More Day by Mitch Albom

Our Town by Thornton Wilder

Standout: Crime And Punishment. I have tried to read something from Dostoyevsky each year, and this year I delighted in reading Crime And Punishment.

Runners-up: Paradise Lost and Tales From Ovic.These were not easy, but John Milton’s work gave a fresh perspective on the stories of creation and the fall of humanity. There were also many familiar stories in Tales From Ovic.

ACADEMIC:

Sinners In The Hands Of A Loving God by Brian Zahnd

The Temple And The Church’s Mission by G.K. Beale

The Jesus Way by Eugene H. Peterson

Teaching And Christian Practices ed. by David I. Smith & James K.A. Smith

The Evangelist by Marie Miller

The Art Of Biblical Poetry by Robert Alter

From The Margins To The Centre ed. by Michael Krause

Raising The Bay In Clinical Perfectionism by Kirstyn Krause

Advent: The Once And Future Coming Of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge

Standout: The Jesus Way. My favourite so far of Peterson’s Conversations In Spiritual Theology series, this book gave an excellent picture of the way of Jesus and how to live the Jesus way.

Runners-up: From The Margins To The Centre and Advent.My father-in-law edited the first of these two, and it had some fascinating ideas related to ministry in our current Canadian, multicultural context. The second was a great series of sermons on Advent that helped me in preparation for Christmas and Advent services.

CRAFT:

For The Glory Of God by Daniel I. Block

For The Beauty Of The Church ed. by W. David O. Taylor

Canadian Pentecostals, The Trinity, And Contemporary Worship Music by Michael A. Tapper

Essential Worship by Greg Scheer

Creative Quest by Questlove

Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin

The Holy No by Adam Hearlson

Ulite Dulci by Thomas Symmes

The Spirit Of Praise ed. by Monique M. Ingalls & Amos Yong

Standouts: Essential Worship. This book offers a great perspective on worship, with great biblical and historical influences.

Runners-up For The Beauty Of The Church and Ulite Dulci. I ended up using the first as the textbook for a course I co-taught on Worship And Creative Arts. The second was fun to hunt down, read, and write about.

Honourable Mention: Worship Matters. I re-read this book when I used it for a small group of new worship leaders I was developing at church. It once again proved to be a valuable resource.

EXPERIENCE:

Confessions by Saint Augustine

Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Bossypants by Tina Fey

7 Men by Eric Metaxas

The Innocent Man by John Grisham

7 Women by Eric Metaxas

The Color Of Water by James McBride

Standouts: Confessions. I was intimidated picking up this book, but it captivated me from the start. It felt as though I was listening to a friend living in Toronto or New York, struggling to live out their Christian faith.

Runners-up: The Innocent Man and I Am Malala. John Grisham’s first work of non-fiction was absolutely infuriating and you should read it (before watching the new Netflix Documentary Series). Malala’s story of courage and strength was inspiring and illuminating.

PROCESS:

Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey

Liturgy Of The Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

Comeback Churches by Ed Stetzer & Mike Dodson

The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team by Patrick Lencioni

Anonymous by Alicia Britt Chole

Messy Grace by Caleb Kaltenbach

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson

How To Be Here by Rob Bell

The Pursuit Of God by A.W. Tozer

The Road Back To You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

Standouts: Liturgy Of The Ordinary. This is one of the best books I have read. I have thought for years that God calls us to the small things, and this book captured how the small movements of our day are opportunities to live out our faith and worship.

Runners-up: Anonymous and The Road Back To You. Alicia Britt Chole has written a beautiful little book that opened up a new way of viewing the temptation of Jesus. The Road Back To Youwas my first foray into the world of the Enneagram, and it proved helpful to understanding certain things about myself and others.